Creating a visionFor the church

MalphursASP Chapter 6

MalphursASP Chapter 6

The kind of church we want to be

MalphursASP Chapter 6

Step 3 in the Strategic Planning

Process

Like values and mission this is essential to the church.However vision is dynamic, subject to change - it is renewed, adapted and adjusted according to the culture in which the church exists. Having said that vision does not change at the core but “around the edges”The core of the Gt Comm does not change but the vision and words used to express it do.Vision provides us with a picture of what the fulfilled mission will look like in a community, a picture of the port the boat is headed to.

The idea of vision os found in both OT and NT.Abraham - Gen 12:1-3Moses (Israel) - Ex 3:7-8, Dt 8:7-10Jesus - possibly Heb 12:2, the return of Jesus to his father.The vision concept helps you to answer the question: what sort of church would we like to be, what would we look like?Preparation asked “what is”The vision step asks “what could be?”

A reminder of the process of strategic planning:

Values discovery

Mission development

Vision development

Strategy development

The importance of a vision

Understanding and implementing vision is a problem for many churches. US research said that only 2% of leaders really get the idea and many said that conflicting visions was the source of greatest tension and the top reason that they were terminated or forced to resign.

1. A vision provides energy

Not much happens without a compelling vision - look at Nehemiah, Jerusalem had long been in ruins but no one had done anything.Visions excite and energise people - it often turns a maintenance mentality into a ministry one (fueled alongside the values you have expressed.)

2. Vision creates cause

Vision gives people a sense of God given meaning and purpose in their life. In effect they become part of God’s cause and plans. They are now on a crusade to change the world.If you were a teacher how would you see life:“I am a teacher”“I am changing the life course of adolescents who will someday accomplish great things for Christ”

3. Vision fosters risk taking

We become more prepared to take a risk - even if sometimes this results in failure. We have a vision and it makes us move outside of the normal and comfortable and do different, unusual, things

4. A vision legitimizes leadership

“Vision is at the very core of leadership. Take away vision from a leader and you cut our his or her heart” Bill HybelsLeaders who cannot see where they are going are not leaders - yet!Leaders carry around in their heart a picture of their port of call. Vision helps them to focus on and follow their dream of where God is taking them and what it looks like.

5. Vision energises leadership

“Vision is the fuel that leaders run on. It’s the energy that creates action. It’s the fire that ignites the passion of followers.” Bill HybelsDeveloping a vision and living it vigorously are essential in good leadership. We see this in Jesus and the 12 who moved with God given passion. Their vision in turn ignited Christ followers to go to the ends of the earth.

6. Vision sustains ministry

All sorts of trials and discouragements come against leaders in the KOG - and often these some from within the church.Compelling vision sustains you in such circumstances - it keeps the picture in front of you and tells you what could be. That picture then reveals to you that all else is insignificant compared to what God has revealed to you.

7. Vision motivates giving

Ministry requires money -and the leader usually has to raise it. This applies regardless of your primary gift or sense of calling.Leaders paint a picture of the vision and the effect of people’s giving upon the fulfillment of that vision. Pain the right picture, paint it well, and people will give.

The Definitionof Vision

What a vision is not

Vision and mission in a church are often confused - but they are not the same. They are both based on the scriptures, look to the future, are directional (going) and functional (doing). But the differences are greater. The following are ten differences between vision and mission

1. The mission statement is a statement of what church is supposed to be doing, while the vision is a snapshot picture of it.2. The mission is used for planning where the church is going; the vision is used for communicating where the church is going.3. A mission statement must be short enough to fit on a T-shirt. The vision statement, however, goes into detail and can range from a single paragraph to several pages in length.

4. The purpose of the mission is to inform all of the ministry’s functions. The purpose of the vision is to inspire people to accomplish the ministry’s functions.5. The mission involves knowing. It helps your people know where they are going. The vision involves seeing. It helps people see where they are going. If people cannot see a goal, it probably will not happen.

6. The mission comes from the head―it is more intellectual in origin. It supplies knowledge. The vision comes from the heart―it is more emotional in origin. It supplies passion.7. Logically, the mission precedes the vision. In their development, the vision grows out of and develops detail around the mission, fleshing it out.8. The mission has a broad, general focus, while the vision has a narrow focus. It singles out the details and specifics of the ministry community.

9. Mission development is a science―it can be taught. The vision, however, is an art―it is more caught. Either you catch it or you miss it altogether.10. Finally, the mission is communicated visually; it is written down somewhere. The vision is communicated verbally. You hear it preached. An example in appendix G is Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” vision. Hearing him preach it has much greater impact than reading; it off the page.

Biblical examples

God’s mission for Moses - Ex 3:10 - this meets the criteria for a mission statement.So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”God’s vision for Israel is brought through Moses - Dt 8:7-10 - this meets the criteria for a vision statement.

Biblical examplesFor the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

What a vision isVision is a clear, challenging picture of the future of the ministry, as you believe it can be and must be.This has 6 elements:1. Clear - 1 Cor 14:8 - the vision must be clear and concise otherwise the people have no idea. Fear of the future stops people moving on - they live in the present or the past. Note the response of the people in Neh 2:18.

2. It is compelling - igniting passion that causes people to get involved - it is a compelling challenge to their mind and spirit - from, there it draws them into action.3. It is a picture - passion touches emotions - vision is a seeing word- it creates a visual image. It is how you see your ministry in 2, 5, 10 or 20 years - it is the future you believe God is going to create. Real visionaries see the finished article before they even start building. When Moses stood on Nebo he saw the land flowing with milk and honey - he had seen it many times before.

4. It is the future of the ministry - a picture of the future we seek to create, the church’s preferred future. It is a picture of the end of the ministry at the beginning of it. The right vision also links the past and the future - through the present.5. It can be - the potential of the vision is amazing - all because it is grounded in reality.“Some people see things the way they are and ask why? I see things the way they could be and ask why not?” Robert Kennedy.

6. It must be - you move from thinking it is possible to saying it must be done, this has to happen - urgency and passion drive you (and the vision) on. Note you now believe this is a “God thing” - and you are the person he has called to accomplish it - and that it is the best thing for the people involved (whether saved or unsaved).

The development of vision1. The vision personnel - Vision must be clear - and this comes in part by writing it down, something which has to originate with the vision navigator (visionary).As with the mission statement the SLT should start the process of drafting the vision.Malphurs suggests using his visions style audit to indicate your vision style and how you go about forming a vision.

2. The vision process - there are 2 steps to this:A. The preparation step - gets you ready to develop you vision, it prepares and aids your thinking for the actual process.A.1 envisioning prayer - any visionary leader bathes the process in prayer - start in prayer and do it continually as you go through. Neh 1:4-11

A.2 thinking big - Matt 28:18ff shows Jesus challenging the disciples to go way beyond what they had ever though or done before - Jesus was the visionary of visionaries.“Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the souls of men.”Ephesians 3:20 is a challenge to think and act big.

A.3. Discovering your passion - passion is the core and key to discovering your vision. What do you care deeply about? What is it you are most passionate about in church life, what brings you to life?A.4 experience the dream - it cannot remain just a feeling you are passionate about, as it grows you have to feel and experience it as you see it forming. Start to live the vision, move into your dream - this also helps in communicating it well. Dream casting in the future is in proportion to living the dream now.

A.5 questioning the dream - probe the vision with questions - is it clear, does it move people, is it challenging, do you have a mental picture of the realised dream, do I believe it, do I believe it must be realised?“A mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew” Howard HendricksA.6 demonstrate patience - sometimes a vision comes to you fully formed, consider Nehemiah - however many visions take weeks or months to form - some of it even comes from the early days of your ministry.

B. The process step - there are 3 potential processes:Expand your mission statement, build on your core values, model your vision after another’s statement: examine each of these and decide which you have an affinity with - then pursue that process.B.1 expanding the mission - return to the previously developed mission statement - then develop or expand it further

- so making disciples is fleshed out, added to, details are brought in, add values, strategy and purpose to the mission statement. Keep asking” what does this look like? Malphurs suggests you dream, feel, are creative and daring at this stage.The SLT should be involved in this process though it will end up being “edited” by the senior leader / visionary.

B.2 building on the core values - again the core values have been defined earlier.Malphurs cites the example on the following page as a good example for church planting. The first statement is a core value - then the rest is a vision development of that value.Working with an SLT Malphurs suggests you can give groups one of the values and ask them to develop it.

B.3 modeling after another vision - you will come across vision statements that grab your attention - you can use this as a pattern from which to develop your own vision statement.The following is an example from Lakeline church:http://lakeline.s468.sureserver.com/the-dream.html

3. The vision product - remember a picture is worth a thousand words - probably said by a visionary!Vision is a picture or image in one’s head. Vision statements then help people to “see” the vision.The vision statement is the culmination of the development of the product. However Malphurs is keen to say that the development is an ongoing process - importantly it is the community we think God is using us to build.

4. The test of vision - having put you vision out for people to hear then you have to examine and see if it is ok. Look at the definition of vision that we used and ask if your vision fits into it?Vision is a clear, challenging picture of the future of the ministry, as you believe it can be and must be.If your vision is good it will enflame you - and your people. If it lacks you will be able to tell from how you and others feel about it.

The communication of the vision

The leader is critical here - his words or actions have a powerful effect on how people respond to the vision.SermonsVision is best spoken verbally - it is best heard preached, just imagine MLK jr. - it had passion and conviction, taking people with him. Leaders who preach the vision have to communicate passionately and with real conviction that comes from within.

Other methodsFormal and informal conversationStoriesBulletinsNewslettersBrochure

Small groupsVideo or audio presentations“Powerpoints”As ever the list is as long as your imagination / creativity.